The Sports Media Thread

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I've played pickleball. It's more fun than ping pong and not as strenuous as tennis.

 

That said, I don't understand why it's on television. It's a backyard game.

[Red Comet]

1 hour ago, Digby said:

Very busy sports calendar right now but CBS Sports Network has been on a professional pickleball marathon tonight.

 

11 minutes ago, Digby said:

I don’t even get why it’s played at a faux-pro level. Just play tennis...?

 

Might as well have pro kickball at this point. 

[Matthew24]

1 minute ago, Red Comet said:

 

 

Might as well have pro kickball at this point. 

Not joking but I'm kinda surprised we don't have a kickball world championship or something like it yet?

 

Also, what is pickleball? I honestly never heard of it. 

[The_Admiral]

4 minutes ago, Matthew24 said:

Also, what is pickleball? I honestly never heard of it. 

 

It's like tennis but you hit a wiffleball with a flat paddle. It's a good sport if you find tennis too hard but badminton too enjoyable.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I've always thought of it more as table tennis on an outdoor court. But that's essentially the same idea.

 

Well, you can drink a beer and play good pickleball but I don't think I'd recommend that with tennis.

 

There's a no growing movement to build pickleball courts in greater Seattle area parks. I'm fine with that as long as they don't close any tennis courts; those are a precious, limited resource.

[Red Wolf]

1 hour ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

I've played pickleball. It's more fun than ping pong and not as strenuous as tennis.

 

That said, I don't understand why it's on television. It's a backyard game.

 

If we can have bowling, darts, poker, men's slow pitch softball, and baggo on TV then why not have pickleball?

[Sec19Row53]

9 minutes ago, Red Wolf said:

 

If we can have bowling, darts, poker, men's slow pitch softball, and baggo on TV then why not have pickleball?

Because we have all those things doesn't mean we should.

 

[insert Jeff Goldblum meme]

[JayMac]

10 hours ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

I've played pickleball. It's more fun than ping pong and not as strenuous as tennis.

 

That said, I don't understand why it's on television. It's a backyard game.

It's a tier above horseshoes or lawn darts but definitely a summer backyard activity.

[Geoff]

On 4/27/2021 at 8:36 PM, Digby said:

I think NBC has done a pretty good job with their non-NFL sports so it’s too bad they’re losing them all (except shunting EPL to a pay service lol). I hope American Ninja Warrior and auto auctions do well for them instead.

Do well for them where? They're killing off NBCSN and that's why they were lowballing the NHL, they were only gonna air a smallish number of games on big NBC and everything else would have been on Peacock.

[Red Wolf]

16 hours ago, Sec19Row53 said:

Because we have all those things doesn't mean we should.

 

[insert Jeff Goldblum meme]

I see no downside. It’s not like the baggo championship is taking airtime away from anything more important. Why do we have a million channels if not for this very reason? 

[Digby]

4 hours ago, Geoff said:

Do well for them where? They're killing off NBCSN and that's why they were lowballing the NHL, they were only gonna air a smallish number of games on big NBC and everything else would have been on Peacock.

Good point! Are the auto auctions going to Peacock? Is auto auction nation as mad about this as American EPL fans are? I just don’t want anyone to miss seeing their ideal 1972 sage green Thunderbird on television.

[RyanMcD29]

19 hours ago, Red Wolf said:

 

If we can have bowling, darts, poker, men's slow pitch softball, and baggo on TV then why not have pickleball?

Hey now, if anything, we one of the ESPNs or FS1 to fully commit their December mornings and afternoons to THE DARTS

 

(NBCSN would've been perfect if not for the "no longer existing" part)

[Sport]

In a not even winking parody of The Ringer's frequent "TEAM X Week" thing that they've done (they had a Browns Week once WTF), Defector is having Senators Week and it's delighted me endlessly. 

 

https://defector.com/

 

Just a bunch of self-serious in-depth articles about the Ottawa Senators and not serious articles about US Senators. 

[BBTV]

After COVID-19, Should Reporters Remain Barred from Locker Rooms? Making the Case for ‘Yes’

https://www.crossingbroad.com/2021/05/after-covid-19-should-reporters-remain-barred-from-locker-rooms-making-the-case-for-yes.html

 

I clicked on the headline expecting to vehemently disagree with the author, but I actually think he may be on to something.  It's kinda weird that reporters are in a locker room and talking to dudes who just wrapped a towel around their balls or are seconds removed from some major-emotional moment.  I'm not sure I'm down with a full-Zoom world (and that's not what he's suggesting) but I think it's fair to ask if locker-room access is really needed.

[The_Admiral]

I agree with everything in your link. I like the idea of the locker room/dressing room/clubhouse being an inner sanctum for team personnel. The players end up using the trainer's room for that anyway. Let them have their entire room to themselves and meet the media elsewhere.

[sportsfan7]

On 5/7/2021 at 3:39 PM, BBTV said:

dudes who just wrapped a towel around their balls

*Usually

 

[infrared41]

On 5/7/2021 at 4:39 PM, BBTV said:

After COVID-19, Should Reporters Remain Barred from Locker Rooms? Making the Case for ‘Yes’

https://www.crossingbroad.com/2021/05/after-covid-19-should-reporters-remain-barred-from-locker-rooms-making-the-case-for-yes.html

 

I clicked on the headline expecting to vehemently disagree with the author, but I actually think he may be on to something.  It's kinda weird that reporters are in a locker room and talking to dudes who just wrapped a towel around their balls or are seconds removed from some major-emotional moment.  I'm not sure I'm down with a full-Zoom world (and that's not what he's suggesting) but I think it's fair to ask if locker-room access is really needed.

 

It's not. I spent a few years covering games in MiLB, the IHL, and NCAA Football and Basketball. The absolute worst thing about the job was going into the clubhouse right after the game ended. The team doesn't want you there, odds are that you're not going to get any worthwhile info, and it's about as uncomfortable a situation as I've ever been in. The same players who were totally cool with talking to you before a game hated your guts after a game.

 

Being in the locker room right after a game is straight up weird. I never got used to it and I've never understood why sports writers think it's so important. The player who hits the walk off HR or scores the game winning TD isn't going to forget all about it 30 minutes after the game. If anything, they're more likely to give better quotes if you give them a little space. FWIW, the best post game interview I ever got was with Syracuse Crunch goalie, Mike Fountain. It took place in the parking garage a good hour after the game was over. I'd bet anything that he would not have been as friendly or accommodating if he'd had to answer my questions right after he got out of the shower.

[The_Admiral]

I wonder whether the struggle women journalists had in being taken seriously in the locker room over the years has people fearful of taking away that hard-earned access. I'm thinking of that terrible 1990 Patriots team where the guy was waving his dick in a reporter's face or something. Women shouldn't have to deal with that, men shouldn't have to, and the players should be able to have peace and privacy in what's essentially a really big bathroom.

[infrared41]

2 minutes ago, the admiral said:

I wonder whether the struggle women journalists had in being taken seriously in the locker room over the years has people fearful of taking away that hard-earned access. I'm thinking of that terrible 1990 Patriots team where the guy was waving his dick in a reporter's face or something. Women shouldn't have to deal with that, men shouldn't have to, and the players should be able to have peace and privacy in what's essentially a really big bathroom.

 

The access would still remain equal. We'd just lose the dick waving. I'd call that a win all around.

[The_Admiral]

I know the access would remain equal at "zero," but it could still be framed in bad faith as an attack on Journalist-Americans.